Davis carries Pacifica to 42-20 win over Santa Paula

Senior runs for 280 yards, 2 touchdowns

After being held to just 11 yards on 11 carries by Nordhoff the previous week, Pacifica High senior running back Kevin Davis erupted for 280 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, pacing the Tritons to a 42-20 victory over host Santa Paula in a non-league game Friday night at Jones Field.

“After last week’s game, my coach (Pacifica offensive coordinator Donnie Rea) told me my performance was horrible,” Davis said. “It was a wake-up call, and I told myself I had to get on my horse and work harder and play better for my team.”

The victory was Pacifica head coach Mike Moon’s first of his career.

“I’m really happy for him,” said Rea, who stepped down from the top post after last season.

Pacifica’s players were also happy for their coach, surrounding him to offer congratulatory hugs at game’s end.

“It feels good,” said Moon, whose Tritons are 1-1. “We’ve been at this a long time and working hard, and the guys deserved this.”

Behind a touchdown run by Davis and a 49-yard touchdown pass from Mike Moraga (6 for 7, 130 yards) to Deondre Vines (4 catches, 80 yards), Pacifica held a slim 14-10 lead at halftime. But the Tritons pulled away in the third quarter with lightning-quick touchdown strikes on three consecutive possessions.

Christian Fuentes threw Santa Paula workhorse Noah Magana (26 carries, 114 yards) for a loss on third down, forcing the Cardinals to punt on their first possession after half. Four plays later, Pacifica scored.

Alexis Carranza picked up 50 yards after catching a quick slant from Moraga on the first play and Vines pulled down another touchdown pass — outrunning the corner on the same fly pattern down the right sideline and catching the pass in stride as he crossed the goal line.

The Cardinals (2-1), who came in undefeated having scored 93 points in their first two games, managed a pair of first downs on scampers by Daniel Kohr (12 carries, 41 yards, 2 TDs) on their next possession but eventually had to punt again.

This time it took the Tritons only three plays to score. Davis charged through huge holes in the line for 30 and 59 yards to the 1-yard line. Fuentes carried in for the score and Frank Rodriguez kicked his fifth of six straight PATs.

“They had the box stacked early,” said Moon, “but once we found Deondre a couple of times, that really opened things up for Kevin.”

Playing without injured starting quarterback Christian Garcia, Santa Paula had not yet let backup Corey Peck throw a pass. But trailing by 17, that changed. Peck responded, hitting Kohr for a touchdown on his first toss of the night to cap the ensuing drive and cut the deficit back to 10.

But the Pacifica quickly quieted the crowd on its first play from scrimmage with another counter up the middle that Davis turned into an electrifying 81-yard touchdown run.

Pacifica put it on ice early in the fourth with another quick drive, capped by another Fuentes TD run.

Cardinal kicker Isaac Madrea added a 40-yard field goal in the final minutes to complete the scoring.